A do-it-yourself guide for getting rid of just about anything.

Best Ways to Get Rid of Yellow Jackets

Modified on July 17, 2016

Getting rid of yellow jackets can be a couple things: time consuming or painful, sometimes both. The Yellow Jacket (of the Vespula genus) is perhaps the only wasp that can be considered pestiferous if we take its aggressive colony size and protective behavior into account. This aggression on the part of the yellow jacket genus is most noticeable toward the end of the summer when the colony begins to break down and workers seek out more sugars and sweets to sustain themselves and what’s left of their young. Not only does the yellow jacket wasp’s behavior change toward the end of the warm season, but the size of a colony can be impressively large if left unimpeded.

For the most part, wasps are hunters and rarely scavengers, and this generally applies to yellow jackets as well, but there are particular species within the Vespula genus that tend to scavenge more aggressively than others. Vespula Vulgaris, for example, is one of these scavenging species, and because of their scavenging behavior, they tend to come into contact with humans on a more regular basis than wasps that hunt for live prey. This article will focus on controlling yellow jacket wasp populations first through non-chemical, physical preventative measures. If preventative yellow jacket control cannot be achieved, then the final section regarding direct yellow jacket nest treatment and removal is the final step to get rid of yellow jackets.

Yellow Jacket Nests

This is an illustration of a yellow jacket nest circa the early 60s. Apparently it’s the only illustration of a yellow jacket nest anyone has bothered to draw. Ever.

Best Methods for Poisonless Yellow Jacket Control

Keep pet food and other sources of protein indoors.Yellow jackets, like other wasps, really do enjoy protein, and nothing is packed with more accessible proteins than pet food floating around in a water dish. So, keep your dog’s or cat’s food bowl inside during the warmer months, or find a way to protect that pet food from foraging pests like yellow jackets and other scavenging wasps.

Keep your garbage cans sealed tightly. Our garbage bins are not only a windfall for stray dogs, stray cats, and the occasional raccoon, but also for yellow jacket wasps who will feed on the leftover proteins and sugars we tend to throw out with the trash. Scraps of meat and fish are particularly pleasing to a yellow jacket’s appetite, as well as old 2-liter bottles of pop, bottles of syrup, and fruits.

Make sure awnings and siding is properly sealed to get rid of yellow jackets.Preventing yellow jackets from gaining entrance to the voids in the siding and roofing of your home is high recommended because hidden wasp nests are particularly difficult to get rid of and may require the services of a pest control professional. If you can’t stand having wasps living behind your walls, having a professional remove them for you is going to be like a root canal on your wallet. If you’re patient, cold weather will eventually kill the colony, and then you can seal the entrance without driving wasps into your home.

Sweets should not be left out to prevent yellow jackets from gaining access to the sugar. Studies done on yellow jackets show that populations with access to large amounts of refined sugars build incredibly large colonies much faster than colonies whose access to food is restricted to their natural diet of nectar and live prey. If you’re enjoying a soft drink, soda, or anything sweet outside, make sure to keep a lid on it or inspect it for yellow jackets before taking a drink. Or just have water.

Mechanical, non-toxic traps are a good way to get rid of yellow jackets. There are a couple of theories surrounding the appropriate timing of yellow jacket and wasp traps, but most experts agree that traps should be put out during the earlier months of the warm season. If traps are set before yellow jacket queens begin their search for proper nesting grounds, it’s possible to spare your community one more yellow jacket colony by killing that one queen. Otherwise, traps set during the first few weeks of summer should keep yellow jacket populations at a manageable level during the peak season. You can find hanging yellow jacket traps at Amazon for a decent price.

Best Ways to Get Rid of Yellow Jackets & Nests

A yellow jacket colony is killed and the nest removed much like any other wasp nest, only most yellow jacket nests are found underground. So, here are some things to consider before you go running out with a can of wasp and hornet killer in a pair of cut off bluejeans and a checkered t-shirt:

Covering yourself with thick sweats will help make it harder for yellow jackets to sting you.

It’s best to treat a yellow jacket nest in the early summer before they build a larger colony.

It is also advisable to wait for a particularly chilly night to poison a yellow jacket nest because yellow jackets have a hard time flying in temperatures below 50 degrees fahrenheit.

It is best to treat a yellow jacket nest in the late evening with either a dust insecticide like Sevin or Dursban, but usually an aerosol will do so long as the poison reaches the nest. Hell, try two cans. Better they’re dead than having to come back with a second can later.

Once it is certain that all of the yellow jackets are dead, you should fill the hole with stones first, and then pack it with dirt to make sure no one trips in the loose soil.

Any yellow jacket nests discovered in later summer or early fall should just be left alone. The coming cold will take care of a yellow jacket nest for you.

Natural Yellow Jacket Control

The do-it-yourself wasp trap is perhaps one of the most effective traps your money doesn’t need to buy. All you’ll need is an empty 2-liter bottle, a scissors, and some sugar water or fruit juice.

Cut the cone off about 1/3 of the way down from the top of the bottle, flip it over, and staple it into place so that it looks like a minnow trap. Then, fill the bottle with fruit juice concentrate or sugar water with a little soap, and hang it from an awning or in your garden if you prefer.

This sort of trap doesn’t just trap wasps and yellow jackets, you may also catch flies and bees, or other beneficial insects.So, it might be in your interest to find a yellow jacket trap made for the species of wasp that’s the most common in your area.

Pouring boiling water or just soap water into the entrance of a yellow jacket nest is one way of killing yellow jackets and rendering their nest uninhabitable. Of course, this particular tactic should be done during the late evening, and measures should be taken to cover the skin in case the colony is feeling particularly blood thirsty that evening. If you’re going to use soap water, why not do it with some organic dish soap like Seventh Generation makes.

Sure, you’ll still be the Tamerlane of the wasp world, but at least you’ll be remembered as the environmentally friendly murderer of wasps.

Yellow Jacket Stings

Yellow jacket stings are particularly nasty because yellow jackets don’t just sting; they bite and sting, and sting, and sting, and sting until there’s no more stingin’ to be done. Treating a yellow jacket sting is fairly simple:

Go inside, and wash the sting with soap & water.Apply meat tenderizer to help break down the proteins of the venom. Take an antihistamine and cover the wound with ice to help prevent swelling and itching.

If your throat or tongue starts to swell, chew & swallow two Benadryl tablets immediately and call 911 or get yourself to the emergency room ASAP.

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COMMENTS

November 10, 2016 at 8:27 pm

Betsy Fabersays:

Hi Jozef,
You need to have at least a week of temperatures below 40 (not just at night) to kill Yellow Jackets. Don’t seal them from the outside until you are sure you have killed them – the last thing you need it them finding another place to out (via the inside of your home).

November 7, 2016 at 4:14 pm

Jozefsays:

I have yellow jackets in the attic,when the lights are on they buzz around the light, when off they disappear. I noticed an opening by chimney and gutter cold enough now where I can fill the joint with spanning foam, will the yellow jackets in the attic die off it gets down to about 40 degrees at night attic is over garage. Thanks.

October 30, 2016 at 9:13 pm

Betsy Fabersays:

If you’re patient, cold weather will eventually kill the colony, and then you can seal the entrance without driving wasps into your home. Also make sure to keep the pets food kept covered as yellow-jackets love the protein in pet food.

October 9, 2016 at 9:22 pm

Logansays:

Julie,
If you are allergic I suggest you have someone else deal with this. I suggest you seek professional help.

October 5, 2016 at 6:25 am

Diannesays:

For the second year, I have yellow jackets living under my vinyl siding, where the foundation and the siding meet. I can’t afford an exterminator. I have tried various sprays and foams, with no luck. Does the nest die off in the winter (I live in Upstate New York), or do they just hibernate? Last year I had a few in the house (along with stink bugs!), but this year I haven’t had any inside (yet!!) I’m terrified of them and I live alone. I have a young dog who delights in jumping up in the air to try to catch them as they fly in and out of the nest, and she has been stung twice this year. Is there an inexpensive way to eliminate the nest for good?

October 5, 2016 at 4:55 am

Timsays:

Why go through the ordeal, and risk getting stung, call a professional. It cost about 100-150 (probably about the same as an ER copay) and will be a lot less painful.

September 28, 2016 at 8:46 am

Logansays:

Hey Deee,
First off, I am so sorry for your trip to the ER, that sounds terrible. I hope you are feeling better. Since it is the end of the year you may just want to avoid the nest altogether. Let the winter take care of the yellow jackets. If you happen to live in a warmer climate you may want to consider getting more traps. They are relatively inexpensive and you can make home made ones as an option.

So, this may sound extreme, but here goes. I had a very large mound of dirt after the installation of our pool earlier this Summer. Recently, I was relocating dirt to another part of the yard, filling in low spots, trenches, etc. I was pulling a large weed out of the dirt pile when I heard buzzing. Before I knew it, I was stung, twice! Now I’m ticked! I sprayed 2 cans of wasp spray over the area. Didn’t seem to help. The next night I sprayed 4 cans. Didn’t seem to help. The next night, I poured gasoline all over the area. Yes, gasoline. I firebombed them a couple of times and when they weren’t swarming the area, I started digging. I should have taken pictures of the nest because it was huge! By the time I had it uncovered, they really started swarming again. Enough for one night. The next evening I did it again, firebombed the dirt pile several more times. I pulled the nest out, piled it up and set it on fire. It’s been a few days now and some are still buzzing around, so maybe there is more nest under the dirt. Here we go again!

September 23, 2016 at 7:53 am

John Shepherdsays:

This works for getting rid of yellow jacket nest that are couple of feet off the ground. Not sure how you do this on a higher nest.

I have a Yellow jackets nest under the bottom piece of siding where it needs meets the brick foundation of my house. At night when there isn’t very much activity, an hour or 2 after dark, I’ll take an aluminum or tin pie pan, and put about 1 to 2 inches below where they’re going under the siding. Using a 5 gallon pail turned upside down or whatever is needed to build up to get the right height. Then I fill the pie tin almost to the top with kerosene. The yellow jackets are attracted to the kerosene; they will kill themselves. You’ll need to empty the pie tin of dead yellow jackets. Again do this at night. I pour the yellow jackets and kerosene into a small bucket, then reuse the kerosene, adding more kerosene to fill the tin to the top. I used this method may times over the past 20 years and it has always worked for me.

September 5, 2016 at 1:17 pm

Juliesays:

Well, I am allergic to bees, wasps, etc. I noticed maybe hundreds of yellow jackets going in and out where my gas line goes into the house. The gas line actually goes into my crawl space. I don’t know but am thinking the nest may be in the crawl space. I have found 3 live ones in my bedroom the last two weeks. I am now sleeping on the couch, lol. I set out a yellow jacket trap last night and it is 3:08 pm and not one yellow jacket in the trap yet. I am afraid if I wait until they are in the nest and blast it with bee & wasp killer they may all end up in the house. I’m not going down there to see where the nest is because it is at the opposite end of the house from the crawl space opening. I would never get out in time. Any suggestions??

August 21, 2016 at 3:37 pm

Deesays:

The weed wacker story made me laugh so hard! Boy did I need that today..as I’m struggling to remove a new nest in our cracked chimney.
You see, they’re good for pollination, right?? I never was allergic to bees, wasps etc. until 6 years ago…. Walked by a garbage can, 3 stings and felt funny… No biggie.. stung again gardening once.. No biggie.. Then noticed dozens of yellow jackets by my porch and garden. Careful to leave them alone, I continued to weed and rake. WHAM!!! 14 stings! Oh boy.. Ex hubby gave me two benadryl and told me lay down.. Later that night I was determined to kill the little monsters, I meant war.. Now armed with 2 cans of long distance spray, at 11:30 pm, I approached ground zero and sprayed until the cans were empty.. Well, they didn’t like that very much at all and the entire colony flew flew out with a vengeance, up my long sundress stinging over and over and over. 68 times on top of the 14 earlier. Mind you, ex hubby wouldn’t help me… he’s allergic and left me there as I was screaming.. I repeat.. Ex hubby lol As I’m mumbling I’m not allergic, my tongue swells, my body swells, I look like a human red frog with welts all over my body and delicate areas. Off to the ER we go, rushed right in, put on an IV and with a thick tongue,I still claiming I’m not allergic.. The nurse with her delightful Irish brogue said- Ya r now honey.. 🙂
~The yellow jackets were feeding on worms under the leaves late at night.. Who ever thought?!

That said.. the spray on the chimney didn’t work, my hummingbirds are now irritated because their feeder is being invaded. Bought a trap, is it too late for that? Or must my wallet endure a “root canal”? lol

Here’s a true story–I don’t recommend this method of yellow jacket control, but it did work in this case. A friend had a yellow jacket nest in the eave of the house, and every time he walked around the corner near it, he was chased/stung, so he became somewhat vindictive about the whole situation. So he got his son to pitch the basketball on the roof so it vibrated the area of the nest, while he stood there, feeling somewhat murderous and invincible, with the electric weed eater running at the mouth of the yellow jacket nest. He was wearing a plain t-shirt and jeans, and fortunately a face shield. It took nearly a half hour, made a terrible mess, and he was utterly exhausted by the ordeal. The weed eater dispatched the out-coming insects, but a few in-coming ones had their revenge on him. And the neighbors enjoyed the show–from a distance!
I think most of your recent suggestions are more viable than this one, and my friend would probably agree. Good hunting, everyone!

Ken, awesome. Give it another try. The ones you still see may have been young who weren’t flying yet or, like you say, may have been protecting young or doing whatever other things they do in there. The only problem I see with your method, as ingenious as it is, is that you’re unlikely to get the queen this way. May need to do some spraying afterall.

Jerry, that’s a good idea. Wait until it’s dark and cold (very late at night or very early in the morning). Get the basket in the bag, get that bag sealed, and put the whole thing in the freezer for a few days.

August 11, 2016 at 10:32 pm

Gilliansays:

Hello,

We have a few yellow jacket nests in the spaces of our rock wall behind our house, I found out because I walked too close to it last weekend and got stung. Tried spraying them twice with Spectracide foam, first time didn’t work. Now we have a trap out, didn’t see too many in there. Also saw a few in our house over past few weeks. We want to use something natural because we have two feral cats we feed outside, I know their food is attracting the yellow jackets so trying to bring the bowls in when they’re done eating. Read about peppermint essential oil with soap and water, that’s supposed to work? Any other advice? Scared to get stung again, my ankle and wrist blew up after I got stung and don’t want to experience that again:-/

August 11, 2016 at 9:03 am

Joesays:

We have Yellow Jackets in the wood of our flower garden next to our side walk. I sprayed undercoat into the open part of the wood at night, the next day they still came out. Any ideas?

August 11, 2016 at 6:50 am

Chrissays:

It’s Chris again. Forgot to mention that above my doorwall, there is a ledge and that’s where I put the mothballs and cotton batting with the dust. I still see no activity and I will keep the mothballs there for a while (it is far above the ground and no children or pets are in danger of coming into contact with them.)

August 11, 2016 at 5:55 am

Chrissays:

I’ll tell you my story: On Sunday, I noticed yellow jackets darting in and out of a small crack between the aluminum siding and brick above my doorwall. Every night for 3 nights, I went out at night and emptied a can of Raid each night into that little crack. To no avail. Those pests were not even fazed by it. They were all business as usual the next day, and there even seemed to be more of them.
I read about Sevin dust and mothballs.
Last night, I took a reacher my mom had, pushed the bag of mothballs close to the crack. Then, because it’s above my head, I had to figure out how to get that dust in the crack without using a ladder, you know, in case I needed a quick get-a-way. So I took a grocery bag and put the dust in the bottom (a generous amount) and put a big wad of cotton batting I had left over from a project in the bag too. Closed the bag tight and shook it up so the dust would cover the batting. Stuffed it into the corner with the reacher and removed it an hour later and was happy to see lots of dust in the corner. I got scared that if the wasps had no way to get out, they’d chew their way through my wall.
This morning I see no wasps at all. Not sure if it’s the Sevin dust or mothballs, but it seems to be working.

August 10, 2016 at 11:43 am

L Ksays:

I had 2 yellow jacket nests. One on the house and one in the garden. In both places i put the long arm of the vacuum up near the hole. By the house this required using a bungee cord to secure it to the gutter. Then I just left the vacuum on for a few hours and as they came and went from the nest they would get sucked up. There must have been thousands in the canister.

August 1, 2016 at 7:31 pm

Ken Msays:

My neighbor complained to me about a yellow jacket nest in her siding yesterday, so I offered to help. I used cam straps to attach a metal frame to the truck roof rack and had the frame positioned as far forward as possible. Then, I used another short cam strap to dangle a 30 watt bug zap lantern. A couple hours after dark, I drove my truck directly to the siding where the yellow jacket nest was located and was able to tap the siding with a metal pole lassoed to the metal frame. Within 10 seconds, the yellow jackets began to attack the light and casing of the bug zap, with one spark after another for 2 or 3 minutes. In the end, there were hundreds of bee carcasses littered across the hood. Upon inspection the next day, there was occasional traffic to the nest, leading me to believe that not all yellow jackets evacuate the nest during a perceived threat, maybe they protect the young, maybe they are lazy, or maybe not fit to the task of leadership or teamwork (like Trump).

July 31, 2016 at 7:18 pm

Jerry Millssays:

We have a yellow jacket nest in a hanging basket by our back door. What is the best way to get rid of them. I thought about wrapping it in a large black plastic bag. I would do this when it is dark. Does this make sense or do you suggest something else? Thank you. Jerry Mills

July 30, 2016 at 12:15 pm

Dansays:

Ammonia poured down an underground nest works well and is not as harmful as other options. Go at night, pour ammonia, cover nest and run! I’ve done this several times and it works like a charm.

“If your throat or tongue starts to swell …call 911 or get yourself to the emergency room ASAP.”

DON’T try to get to an emergency room on your own! If you can’t find someone fast to help you, get out near the street where the paramedics will find you right away, rather than forcing them to waste time looking for you in the house or back yard.

Supposedly putting moth balls in areas like your front porch will make them go elsewhere. I’ve had mine out there for about 2 weeks and have only seen two, neither of whom stayed around. They left in quite a hurry. A few thoughts: Try moth balls. Put them under your front porch, deck, patio, hot tub, garage, shed, etc. If it doesn’t work, you are only out a few dollars- no huge deal. A friendly exterminator gave me that trick instead of charging me a small fortune. That was very nice of him. He said that they don’t like strong (acrid?) scents like ammonia, mothballs, and things like that. He also buys Drione dust from his supplier (I found it on Ebay). It sticks to their legs and they carry it to their nest (ends up killing the queen).
Cheers everyone!

June 14, 2016 at 11:01 pm

Russell Chapmansays:

Kelly- Use RAID (brand) fumigators FIRST!!! At Home Depot in the garden section with all of the other insecticides. It’s a blue/white/black box. Plan to vacate the house for 4-5 hours. Using all three cans (one for each corner of the basement) will (very likely) kill any that are hiding in the ceiling. Yellow jackets are nothing to take gambles with!

Kelly, it’s really hard to say. But it sounds old to me, otherwise you would be seeing a lot more than three. Be careful!

June 5, 2016 at 7:50 pm

Kellysays:

Hello!! So today we found a quiet (unattended?) nest under the drop ceiling panels in a room in the basement. The house is from 1920’s and undoubtably has had some vulnerable spots for tiny unwelcome guests. (new house to us) I’ve squished 3 slow moving yellow jackets this weekend. Gonna take down all panels. Think it’s inactive or just dormant? Petrified of bees!

Xavier, is there any way you can get up there to repair the mortar? That would be a much more permanent fix.

May 9, 2016 at 8:08 am

Xavier Heardsays:

The complete backside of my two story house is vinyl siding. Caulking all of the corners is not an option I don’t think. I get yellow jackets that come into my house through the fireplace. I can go outside and see the insect entering into the crevasses of the fireplace. I think I need a pesticide that has a residual effect.

the other week I notice yellow jackets flying in and out of a hole near the creek area of my pond I don’t want to use anything to kill my KOI and gold fish . I going to try some vinegar , water and dish detergent .I used a shop vac with 3 inches of soap and water it worked but time consuming . I live in NJ u say that the cold will kill them but will it kill all of them or just some of them?

Sarah, is it actually in your basement or is it in the wall/foundation?

October 3, 2015 at 2:21 pm

Sarah Hankerssays:

Found what appears to be a yellow jacket nest in my basement….they came in through an unused outside hose receptacle that was missing turn on knob. I have only seen a few in the basement, but have seen quite a few flying in and out through this entry point outside the home. Those inside do seem lethargic. Will they just die off with the impending cooler weather coming? Am I better off waiting a few weeks before having nest removed?

Hey Kim, I would try baiting them. Set out a can of cat food near to where they’re going under the siding and see if they eat it. If they do, let them keep eating it for a few days and replace the old dried stuff with fresh a couple times. Once they get used to it, mix in a little bit (like a teaspoon) of Borax. So we’re lookin’ at about 1 tsp. of Borax for about 4 tbsp. of cat food. This should work, albeit slowly. Borax contains boric acid, which is a slow acting poison. If you can get them to take it into the hive, they’ll start infect the entire thing from the inside. If the cat food isn’t working, you can try various sweets, different meaty substances, etc. It might take some trial and error to figure out what they’re liking to eat at this time of year in your area.

Also, is there a particular room that your finding them in? A particular level of the house?

September 30, 2015 at 6:08 am

kimsays:

Hello we are having trouble with these bees there are at least 4-5 a day I am killing in our home, have seen them go under our siding have tried seven many times to kill them but think they are under our pre fab home now but dont know where they are coming in? Thank you for any help you can give us!!

Hi. I just moved into a single family home… With a closed of brick chimney. It looks like a chimney from the outside but there is nothing inside of the house. Anyway I noticed yellow jackets flying into a small hole where the chimney meets the rest of the house. I have killed 8 in the house. I can’t figure out how they are getting inside! My husband sprayed extra strength foaming wasp killer at the hole but the next day they are back at the hole. What should we do?! My landlord is not interested in calling a professional but I am so afraid of them and I have a small toddler as well. I just moved to a new state so I am not sure how cold the winters are yet. Any advise advice would be so greatly appreciated!!

Grace, you need to find out where they’re coming in. Holes or vents in the ceiling? Holes in window screens? Cracks between walls and ceiling? Do they seem to be just in your bedroom?

September 22, 2015 at 5:24 am

Gracesays:

I live in a condo that is like a home but connected to three others. we each have our own roof, etc. I noticed about a month ago in August a noise in the wall of the bedroom on second floor near the ceiling/roof. Yellow jackets flying around that area outside. Maintenance sprayed the area on September 8th, about two week ago. I don’t see bees flying around the area sprayed on the side of the roof, but there still is a much stronger buzzing in my bedroom ceiling and I have found over 50 half dead yellow jackets in the house. How are they getting into the house? I have been stung on three different occasions by finding them in my bed covers. What can I do to keep them out of the house, until the freezing winter comes? Or what can you recommend?

Hi Gayle, yes. First, you need to figure out what’s in there. Do you have a stethoscope? They can help. However, if it is yellow jackets you can drill a series of holes in the wall and blow in pesticides. I would recommend boric acid powder.

June 4, 2015 at 2:05 pm

gaylesays:

There has been a faint noise in the wall of our home for about 3 weeks and is progressively getting louder. My husband thinks it is yellow jackets because we have found 2 or 3 inside the house. Is there anything we can do ourselves to rid the wall from these — if it is indeed yellow jackets?

May 12, 2015 at 8:48 pm

Greysays:

At night while bees are dormant pour regular honeybee honey down the hole and around the entrance. Raccoons or skunks will dig up and destroy the nest in an effort to get more honey.Skunks will actually eat bees.

August 18, 2014 at 12:19 pm

Virginiasays:

This sounds like it’ll work for us. Instead of what my Hubby does: pours gas in the hole and lights it. KABOOM!!!!
Thanks for all the suggestions, liked your way of wording also.